23 March 2010

Gunung Datukis a mountain with height of880 meters(2900 feets) from sea level. It is my first mountain hiking (approximately1 hour and half).

Each person need to payRM3as entrance fees (car park isFREE) and required registration for safety and record purposes.

It actually takes longer to get there than to hike up the mountain. Gunung Datuk isn't a mountain (don't know how it earned the "gunung" title) as it is really just a hill with a height of 870m. So the trek time isn't very long. Trekking at a moderate speed will take 2½ hours two-ways. We have made it to the top in less than an hour before. So this can be considered a fairly easy trek.

The trail is really straightforward as there's one clear path leading all the way to the peak. It's well-trodden and pretty wide, so trekkers should not get lost nor get tangled with thorny plants. Along the way, there's a patch of yam plants where the leaves stand out from among the common jungle tropical flora.

The best part of the trek is at the peak. There is no beirut, nor muddy ground, nor tall trees and bushy shrubs to block one's view. Formed by several gigantic granite boulders (that's really not the word coz they are much bigger than what the word suggests), the area around the peak is spacious. Whoever braves the few rungs of metal ladders and sits at the peak will be offered a 360-degree view. On a clear day, one can see the Seremban town and as far as the Straits of Malacca.

Once at the top, be prepared for for some of the strongest winds on an open mountain top. After the walk up, sitting with the strong cool winds blowing in you face is truly a refreshing experience.

15 March 2010

13 March 2010

The Permata Insan programme, which emphasises educating children to understand and practise the fundamentals of Quranic teachings, aims to mould future Muslim technocrats in the country.

National Permata Policy Executive Committee chairman Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor said the programme was designed holistically, specially for gifted students to focus on Islamic studies, especially on the teachings of the Quran.

"It is important for these students to understand and internalise the importance of the Quran as a source of knowledge, especially in science and human sciences.

"The programme's syllabus emphasis is on students to learn the Quran in depth as well as to look at its views on biology, botany, bioagriculture, physics, mathematics and science," she said after launching the Permata Insan centre at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), near here, yesterday.

Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Jamil Khir Baharom, USIM vice-chancellor Datuk Muhammad Muda and Adviser to the Higher Education Minister of Saudi Arabia and member of the King Abdul Aziz University Organisation of Giftedness Professor Dr Auda Al Johani.

The Permata Insan programme, which will be administered by USIM for students aged between 8 and 11, is the fourth programme set up under the Permata national initiative.

Rosmah explained that the programme will select students through the first screening test which will take place from this month to May.

"Those who make it through the first round, will be tested again through another round of screening called USIM1, to gauge their level of intelligence in Islamic studies.

"The pilot project will select 50 gifted students in Islamic studies from all over the country," she said.

The prime minister's wife also said the programme administrators would be working closely with the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"With this collaboration, we hope to be able to send some gifted students there for a summer camp (Jeddah) in the near future just like the Permata Pintar programme where five students were sent to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youths (JHU-CTY) in the United States for a three-week summer camp in June.

"The exposure will help mould gifted students into outstanding intellectuals based on the learning modules used by the university," she said.